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Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Measuring Dissolved Methane in Aquatic Ecosystems Using An Optical Spectroscopy Gas Analyzer
Published on: July 26, 2024
Open-path dual-comb spectroscopy of methane and VOC emissions from an unconventional oil well development in Northern
Griffin J Mead1, Eleanor M Waxman1, Daniel Bon2
1National Institute of Standards and Technology, Spectrum Technology and Research Division, Boulder, CO, United States.
Abstract:
We present results from a field study monitoring methane and volatile organic compound emissions near an unconventional oil well development in Northern Colorado from September 2019 to May 2020 using a mid-infrared dual-comb spectrometer. This instrument allowed quantification of methane, ethane, and propane in a single measurement with high time resolution and integrated path sampling. Using ethane and propane as tracer gases for methane from oil and gas activity, we observed emissions during the drilling, hydraulic fracturing, millout, and flowback phases of well development. Large emissions were seen in drilling and millout phases and emissions decreased to background levels during the flowback phase. Ethane/methane and propane/methane ratios varied widely throughout the observations.
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